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dblwhiskey
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02/05/2018 04:14PM   (Thread Older Than 3 Years)
Well my youngest son decided before he leaves for the Navy that mom and dad needed a new dog (I guess to act as his replacement). So we now have a Henrietta, a 4 month old English Springer Spaniel pup.
We have had her about 2 months now and she is proving to be a pretty good dog so far. She minds well, learns quickly enough and has enough "sass" to be fun.

However we have never taken a dog to the BWCA before and any pointers or tips would be appreciated. Are there any additional vaccinations, medications... to consider. Is it necessary to filter their water also? She drinks water from puddles on the ground at home with no ill effects that we can tell. I do remember reading here about someone that took a dog in and it got diarrhea real bad inside the tent at night, the way it was described had my wife and I laughing so hard we about wet ourselves. If you are the author of that story, please take no offense but we would not want to live it out first hand. We know to pickup after her and keep her on a leash and under control as best as possible for a puppy of her age. We plan on a floatation vest just in case she decides on an unexpected swim, someone said the handle on the back of the vest makes for easy retrieval on the move. What are we missing? Thanks, Mark
 
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02/05/2018 06:57PM  
We had a similar dog when I was a teen. They LOVE water and can't get enough of it, so it may be difficult to keep her in the boat. She will probably spend her on shore time continuing to play in the water. Because she's a water dog, bring a couple of towels along just for her use.

Don't worry about filtering water for her, she'll drink out of lakes, streams, etc. You won't be able to stop her. Dog's digestive systems aren't very sensitive to water borne illness like we are.

PS. She sure is cute.
 
02/05/2018 07:32PM  
We always took our lab with us. She loved the water so we had to make sure she stayed out of it for about an hour before we went to bed, because she slept in the tent with us.

When in the tent, she had a certain corner to lay in. Of course as the night went on, she would migrate to my bag. Eventually we started bringing an old kids thermarest for her. She then stayed on her own pad.

Depending on how slippery the bottom of your canoe is, you may want to put an old foam pad down so she doesn't fall when she gets in. Some dogs are more comfortable with this than others.

We also had her carry her own food on the portages. This helped keep her on the trail, not roaming around, because the pack would catch on brush. She usually stayed between my husband and me.

Be sure to check her for ticks every day. Also look at her pads each night- it's easy for them to get cuts on the rocky portages.

Our dogs never had diarrhea on a trip, but we limited how much grease she ate. W could always tell when she had some.

Keep her close and have fun with her.

 
02/05/2018 08:09PM  



When my lab was younger he wanted to swim. He’d only jump out when we were near shore. He could do this without rocking the canoe. Now he’s a big boy and happy just to hang out with his humans.

 
mr.barley
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02/05/2018 08:45PM  
Nice looking dog. I'm a sucker for springers. My wife and I are on our 3rd one in the last 25 years. She's almost a year old and full of sass.
 
dblwhiskey
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02/05/2018 09:59PM  
Thanks for the responses so far.

Awbrown, I had thought about her swimming but the idea of a couple towels for her is one we hadn't thought of. I know dog digestive systems are less sensitive but what about things like Beaver Fever, I guess that's not much of a concern?

4keys, we have a small 2'x'2 polar fleece that was made up for her to lay on at the house and that should work well in a tent. I have some of the black flexible foam insulation that I can put in the bottom of the canoe for her to sit. We had discussed the idea of her "packing" her own food but wasn't certain if we wanted to do that with portages. But thinking about it though our trip this year will only consist of 1 long portage so it may not be that bad changing from the lifevest to the dog pack. We are aware of the tick issue but had no thought about checking the paws so thanks for that tip.

Jwartman59, we had a German Shorthair Pointer that our daughter claimed and took with her when she moved to Duluth. I had tried to take her with on previous trips but was always shut down because my wife didn't want a dog that big in the canoe with us. Labs are typically bigger than GSPs, I'm sure he can rock the canoe if he moves around much.

Mr.barley, this is our first springer and she is proving to be quite a sweety. We love the roan coloring on her. I have to ask how your dog got on the table in the picture? Was that the dogs doing or did she have help?

Again thanks for the tips so far.
 
mr.barley
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02/06/2018 03:36AM  
My son took a toy away from her and set it on the table. She was in serious play mode and jumped right up into the table. The breeder I got her from does a lot of roans. You didn't happen to get yours in Slayton Mn?
 
02/06/2018 08:26AM  
I have a 65 lb golden retriever named Aurora.

I first took her with me on a solo when she was 7 months old. When we got to portages I would put her on a retractable leash and tie her to a tree on the trail. I would tie at chest height. I would then pick up the canoe and pack and return to the leash. I would then snap the leash to my sternum strap.

Aurora loved it. I would say "go" or "pull" and she would do it. When I neared the top of a hill I wanted her to slow or stop so that she didn't pull me down. In a slow and steady voice, I would repeatedly say : EEEaaassssyyy. She would slow or stop. I think the key was to speak to her very often so that she knew when she was doing well or poorly.

It was helpful and fun.

I have now taken up skijoring with her and these same principles apply. She picked it up right away.





 
02/06/2018 09:20AM  
Congratulations on your new puppy! With fine strategic thinking like that your sn will make Captain in no time.

Good advice above, but one thing I'd question is at what age to have a dog start carrying their own food. Ask your vet about their growth plates, which are soft parts of the bones. Personally, I waited until my boy was over a year old before carrying, and focused on discipline and boat behaviour.

Like AWB said, don't worry about the water, and good luck trying to stop them. My dog wants to taste every little puddle he can find.

I'll suggest you get one of those little blinking lights that clips to the collar, especially until you know well how Henrietta will react to squirrels, deer, thunder, etc. My dog is all black and vanishes in the dark just 5 feet outside camp, but with the blinking light I see where he is 30 yards back.

Be sure to sign up for the Private Group "Doggie Paddle". Lots of questions have been asked and discussed there, including topics you might not have thought of yet.
 
02/06/2018 11:25AM  
Very good advice. Don't forget a food dish. I'm not fond of the collapsible ones as I find them hard to keep clean. I bring an old frisbee (double duty if needed) for a food dish.
I brought my two Brittany's with last year up to Cummings Lake. They love water but kept out of the lake (by instinct...?) in the evening.
I just carried the dog food since it was a hassle to switch from life vest to dog packs at each portage end.
 
mjmkjun
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02/06/2018 11:52AM  
Henrietta = cuteness with big mischievous eyes.
 
dblwhiskey
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02/06/2018 01:20PM  
mr.barley: "My son took a toy away from her and set it on the table. She was in serious play mode and jumped right up into the table. The breeder I got her from does a lot of roans. You didn't happen to get yours in Slayton Mn?"


No we got her form a breeder near Baldwin, WI.
 
MrFeesh
member (39)member
  
02/06/2018 09:46PM  
dblwhiskey: " Thanks for the responses so far.


Awbrown, I had thought about her swimming but the idea of a couple towels for her is one we hadn't thought of. I know dog digestive systems are less sensitive but what about things like Beaver Fever, I guess that's not much of a concern?


4keys, we have a small 2'x'2 polar fleece that was made up for her to lay on at the house and that should work well in a tent. I have some of the black flexible foam insulation that I can put in the bottom of the canoe for her to sit. We had discussed the idea of her "packing" her own food but wasn't certain if we wanted to do that with portages. But thinking about it though our trip this year will only consist of 1 long portage so it may not be that bad changing from the lifevest to the dog pack. We are aware of the tick issue but had no thought about checking the paws so thanks for that tip.


Jwartman59, we had a German Shorthair Pointer that our daughter claimed and took with her when she moved to Duluth. I had tried to take her with on previous trips but was always shut down because my wife didn't want a dog that big in the canoe with us. Labs are typically bigger than GSPs, I'm sure he can rock the canoe if he moves around much.


Mr.barley, this is our first springer and she is proving to be quite a sweety. We love the roan coloring on her. I have to ask how your dog got on the table in the picture? Was that the dogs doing or did she have help?


Again thanks for the tips so far."


Unsure what your rubber mat is but one thing to look for is that it does not absorb water.
We use a piece of closed cell sleeping pad from Walmart cut down to fit in the canoe. It also doubles as her sleeping pad in the tent.
 
AG4
member (45)member
  
02/07/2018 08:12AM  
I love Springers. My wife and I both grew up with them, so naturally we had to get one too. Here's our Baby Rue!
 
Tman
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02/07/2018 11:14AM  
Lyme Vaccine - Not sure if it is standard for vets to give it in your area but it is not here in southwest OH. When making the annual checkup appointment we remind our vet that we go to the northern MN and she special orders the vaccine. They do not normally stock it.
 
davep785
member (21)member
  
02/08/2018 09:09PM  
Tons of great advice here. I'll add my two cents. I fed my pup in the cano on dry land, started so the canoe didn't roll and gradually removed the braces. Also taught him the get in and get out commands.
 
02/08/2018 09:45PM  
Congrats on the new pup! We've always introduced our dogs to backcountry travel (canoeing and backpacking) when they were pups. I don't have them carry their own food, because it is likely to get wet. It doesn't weigh that much--just throw it into the bottom of the pack in a waterproof bag. My dog spends a couple of weeks in Quetico every summer--no problems. I always prefer to travel with a dog, because there are no surprises-- a dog is a fantastic watchman.
 
mjmkjun
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02/09/2018 04:58AM  
AG4: "I love Springers. My wife and I both grew up with them, so naturally we had to get one too. Here's our Baby Rue! "

Looks like one of those Glamour Girl photos to me. All poised, smiling and pretty. :-)
 
mc2mens
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02/09/2018 07:15AM  








Bring your dog. You'll love it. She'll love it!
 
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